A commentary article on October 11 picked up a Sunday newspaper report which said that there are 99,000 people suffering from ADHD-related conditions and that more than 3,000 families have received cars as a result through the Motability scheme. We are happy to clarify that these figures include behavioural disorders as well as ADHD and that of the 3,200 families eligible for cars, only 30 per cent have taken up the offer.

[This article has not been corrected on the Mail web site. It’s worth noting that the Mail have already published a correction for a different article making a very similar error at around the same time]

Smoking in Cars

A recent article about the proposed ban on smoking in cars correctly quoted a British Medical Association briefing paper which said that the toxin levels in a closed vehicle are 23 times higher than those in a smoky bar. The BMA have since corrected their figure to 11 times.

Last Sunday we said some 3,200 families of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were believed to have been given cars under the Motability scheme. In fact that total is the combined figure for two categories of recipients of the Higher Mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance and includes other behavioural disorders. Recipients choose whether or not to spend their allowance on a Motability car; generally about 30 per cent do so. Also, we described the qualification for the Lower Mobility component, rather than the Higher Mobility component required to claim a car, for which individuals must be declared virtually unable to walk.

Ashley Van Dyck

Bath licensee Ashley Van Dyck points out that he did not support police use of an airport-style scanner to check people on a night out for knives and drugs. Our article of September 25 repeated a quote to the BBC by Mr Van Dyck, chairman of Bath Pubwatch, saying only that he welcomed extra police officers being deployed to curb anti-social behaviour.

Dr Angela Kikugawa

On September 18 we published a photograph of Dr Angela Kikugawa, an assistant director at the UK Border Agency, competing at the Civil Service Sports Council Games at Loughborough University. Dr Kikugawa has asked us to clarify that she attended the games at her own expense and did not take part in any of the partying and other activities later in the evening.

Union Flag

Last week we printed the Union Flag incorrectly in a tea towel promotion. The thick white lines of the St Andrew’s Cross should have been above the red St Patrick’s Cross on one side of the flag and below it on the other.